During a meeting of the municipal civil protection committee on Graciosa Island in the Azores’ central group, the mayor, António Reis, emphasized the importance of ensuring a coordinated and effective response to Cyclone Gabrielle to safeguard the population and ensure the readiness of emergency services.
The meeting included a detailed update on the meteorological development of the phenomenon from the Azores Regional Civil Protection and Fire Service (SRPCBA).
Attendees included representatives from the Santa Cruz da Graciosa Municipal Council, parish councils, volunteer firefighters, PSP, GNR, Maritime Police, Graciosa’s port captaincy, the Island Health Unit, health delegation, Azores Social Security Institute, Regional Directorate of Housing, forestry and environmental services, and the Regional Secretariat of Tourism, Mobility, and Infrastructures island delegation.
According to the Azores Meteorological Forecast and Surveillance Center of the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA), the initial effects of Tropical Cyclone Gabrielle are expected to be felt in the archipelago from Thursday evening, with the system projected to reach the region as a Category 1 hurricane.
The IPMA reported today that at 09:00 local time (10:00 in Lisbon), Tropical Cyclone Gabrielle was located approximately 2,190 kilometers west of the Azores’ Western group, moving northeast at a speed of 41 kilometers per hour.
Meteorologist Rita Mota from the Azores delegation of the IPMA stated, “Currently, Cyclone Gabrielle is classified as a Category 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale” (scale from 1 to 5, with 5 being the most severe category).
The IPMA further noted that the cyclone’s center is expected to pass between the Western and Central groups, closer to the Central group’s islands.
Adverse weather conditions are anticipated, particularly affecting the Western (Flores and Corvo) and Central (Terceira, São Jorge, Pico, Graciosa, and Faial) groups, according to the IPMA based on available meteorological data.
The islands in the Western and Central groups of the Azores will be under a red warning for heavy rainfall, maritime agitation, and wind, commencing Thursday night.
On Flores and Corvo islands, the red warning for heavy rainfall will be in effect from 21:00 on Thursday (22:00 in Lisbon) to 06:00 on Friday.
The IPMA has also issued a red warning for maritime agitation from 00:00 to 09:00 on Friday, with southwest waves shifting to the north, with maximum waves reaching 14 to 18 meters.
The red warning for wind on these two islands will be in effect from 00:00 to 06:00 on Friday, with winds initially from the east, shifting to the north.
On Terceira, Faial, Pico, São Jorge, and Graciosa islands, which form the Central group, there is a red warning for wind (from the south, shifting to the northwest) from 00:00 to 09:00 on Friday.
The IPMA has also issued a red warning for maritime agitation for the same group, valid from 03:00 to 12:00 on Friday, with southwest waves shifting to the northwest, with maximum waves reaching 14 to 18 meters.
